Pain and guilt can't be taken away with the wave of a magic wand. They're the things we carry with us, the things that make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose ourselves. I don't want my pain taken away! I need my pain!
Marriage is a reflection of your life in general: how you treat people, how you argue, how secure you are in your own thoughts. How vehemently do you argue your point of view? With what disdain do you view the other's point of view?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Marriage reflects your overall approach to life and how you treat others.
This quote by William Shatner suggests that the dynamics of a marriage are deeply intertwined with an individual's character and values. It emphasizes that how one interacts with their partner—be it through conflict, affection, or communication—serves as a mirror for their broader relationships and self-awareness. The essence of marriage, according to Shatner, lies in not only the love shared but also in how each partner engages with differing perspectives and treats one another through various circumstances.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing the importance of communication in relationships during a couple's workshop.
More from William Shatner
All quotes →What have I done? I've blundered my way through life. So I have my picture on the wall. The minute I die, that picture will start to yellow and fade and eventually be gone. Blown in the wind and become part of the molecular structure of something else. These things we see as "success," they're non-accomplishments.
The ability to breathe the air and drink the water will be what the wars will be about from here on in. And it's coming with alarming rapidity.
Don't be afraid of making an ass of yourself. I do it all the time and look what I got.
Has it ever occurred to you that how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life?
Similar quotes
Marriage is a school itself. Also, having children. Becoming a father changed my whole life. It taught me as if by revelation.
Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.
Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm.
The great marriages are partnerships. It can't be a great marriage without being a partnership.
Women have been driven mad, “gaslighted”, for centuries by the refutation of our experience and our instincts in a culture which validates only male experience. The truth of our bodies and our minds has been mystified to us. We therefore have primary obligation to each other: not to undermine each other’s sense of reality for the sake of expediency; not to gaslight each other.
Every relationship has tough days. Don't let the grudge last. Be the first to try to make things right and stop waiting for an apology.